The mini display port (or mDP) is a well-known type of electrical data connector that is used as a digital interface between display devices and computers. The mDP carries a maximum of 20 connection pins arranged in two rows of 10 pins, mounted within a D-shaped metallic shield. The plug part of the mDP usually has one or more locking holes, which can be engaged by spring-loaded detents on the plug receptacle (or socket), to retain the plug in the receptacle.
The superMHL connector is another type of electrical data connector that is used as a digital interface between display devices and computers. The superMHL connector is reversible and carries a maximum of 32 connection pins for data, video and power.
The HDMI connector is another type of electrical data connector that is used as a digital interface between display devices and computers. There are several types of connectors which are defined in the HDMI 1.0, 1.3 and 1.4 specifications respectively. The HDMI connector has 19 pins.
One problem with many conventional data connectors including mDP, superMHL and HDMI connectors is that the plug does not lock positively into the receptacle and can in some circumstances become disconnected from the receptacle, leading to a loss of the data signal.
Various mechanisms are known for locking a plug into a receptacle, which employ a releasable positive locking mechanism. For example, a locking HDMI plug is described in EP2245707B1. However, we have found that the locking mechanism of this known device does not always operate smoothly and may sometimes be difficult to engage and/or disengage, particularly if too much pressure is applied to the manually actuatable locking/unlocking sleeve. The mechanism is also too large to be accommodated within the very small housings that are specified for some modern connectors, such as mDP and superMHL plugs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical data connector that mitigates one or more of the aforesaid problems.